Julie & Julia the books and the movie

During the first quarter of 2008, I set a goal for myself that I would only read books on cooking for the first 3 months of the year. The first book I read was The United States of Arugula by David Kamp. This turned out to be an excellent choice as it gave me a general background on the movers and shakers in the developing the American palette. I had of course heard of Julia Child and of the Galloping Gourmet but James Beard ?, Alice Waters? Ruth Reichl? These and others were names that I would become intimate with in the following months. But the woman who towered above them all was of course Julia Child.
For some reason, I felt intimidated to read a book on Julia. I am not quite sure why but I felt great reluctance. I saw My Life in France on the shelf day after day but always put it off for another time. The in late January, I picked up Julie Powell's Julie & Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen. I thought the cover was whimsical and decided to give it a go. Once I opened the book, I delightfully plunged into Julie's world of neurosis and and search for meaning in a world that a times appears to be unraveling at the seams. Julie had wit and a rough edged charm and I found myself laughing madly out loud. I devoured the book and then encouraged everyone I knew to read it--even a 70 year old man that politely gave it back to me. I dubbed the book as Sex in the City in a tiny grimy kitchen.
Through Julie & Julia, I learned a bit about the Grand Dame herself and became intrigued, so I picked up the My Life in France audiobook--I was still worried that I just wouldn't get into it. But Oh, how wrong I was. Paul and Julia had a fantastic marriage and love affair. Julia's story is beautifully told by her nephew Alex Prudhomme. I instantly became a fan of Julia Child. What woman wouldn't be when it became clear that she didn't even start cooking until she was almost 40. Clear proof that at any point we can be who we want to be if we can only imagine it and try hard. Julia and Julie truly inspired me.
Needless to say, I was excited when I heard the movie was coming out. I added a copy to my collection and marked it New although by it clearly wasn't. I also added it to my Recommend list on our digital photo frame in the library. And this summer, I had a book club discussion and pot luck on the book as part of the Summer Reading Program.
All this but I was afraid that I wouldn't like the movie. I know that Nora Ephron is entirely capable with titles like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle under her belt; but when I found out that Meryl Strep was going to play Julia Child in the movie, I just didn't get it. And then I realized that the movie was actually going to be based on both titles covering both Julia Child's and Julie Powell's stories. I became hopeful that all would be good. And indeed all was good. This is an excellent film, well told and leaves you feeling generally good about yourself. This is a movie that proves that even with set backs when you are determined and have the support you can accomplish great things. I highly recommend this film and the two books. They are all very good. Each can stand alone but are best when enjoyed together.